The project is held in institutional cooperation of the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University in Liberec and the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and is kindly supported by EEA and Norway Grants. Its mission is to link the method of Systems Oriented Design with Performance Oriented Architecture on the case study project Wood as a Primary Medium to Architectural Performance. Projekt je veden v institucionální spolupráci mezi Fakultou umění a architektury na Technické univerzitě v Liberci a Oslo School of Architecture and Design a byl laskavě podpořen z EHP a Norských fondů. Jeho mise je propojit metodu Systémově orientovaný design s Performativně orientovanou architekturou na případové studii Dřevo jako primární médium k architektonické performanci.

Figure 1: TreeHuggerCyprus: Responsive Wood Insect Hotel that offers a variety of climatic and spatial conditions to be met with diverse insects’ preferences. This is achieved by global axis orientation, the shape of the hotel and cutting the panels from different positions of the tree trunk. Please also take note of the social communication and engagement through exhibited GAGA-Maps and QR Code. (Photo: Davidová 2018)

1 Project Introduction

The eCAADe RIS workshop at the Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus by Collaborative Collective is a local and participative adaptation of similar project in Prague with the same name, the TreeHugger (see Figure 1). Offering hands on experience of prototyping and placing into public space the responsive wood insect hotel’s workshop relates to local environmental, social and political parameters as well as the skills and interests of its participants. This eco-systemic ‘prototypical urban intervention’ (Davidová, 2004; Doherty, 2005) takes place at one of the trees near by the United Nations Buffer Zone in Nicosia. The very difficult political-urban situation gave birth to rich bio-topes on a bio-corridor within the, otherwise very anthropocentric, city centre of Nicosia, Cyprus. The research addresses the landscape ecologists’ discussion that our agricultural land has become so toxic (i.e. use of pests) that many species, that had adapted to them hundreds years ago, are recently adapting for the life in the cities. Nearly 80% of flying insects in biomass have disappeared since eighties/nineties in Western Europe from our landscape (Vogel, 2017). In similar percentage follows the decrease of birds that eats them (Czech Ornithologists Association, 2016). As architectural researchers addressing such data, we claim that we need to adapt our anthropocentrically evolved cities for the co-living situation with other species across the communities.

Figure 2: GIGA-Mapping of Collected Data (Photo: Kontovourkis 2018)

Figure 3: Resolving Grasshopper Code (Photo: Davidová 2018)

The hands on started with, in this case analogue, process-based diagramming, so called ‘GIGA-Mapping’ (Davidová, 2014; Sevaldson, 2011, 2013, 2015), of the participatory and local environmental properties, using on site registered and measured data, questionnaires of locals and environmental agencies and web search (see Figure 2). Afterwards the hands on continued with adjusting former TreeHugger’s Grasshopper code to the local tools and local and design specific parameters (see Figure 3). Next to the above mentioned, the participants explored the responsive solid wood digital fabrication skills, critical public space eco-systemic intervention skills and most importantly, the performing and interacting prototype’s observations registrations. When intervening the public space, they did and needed to- engage with the locals. Engaging them into the project generates co-design and avoids vandalism. We introduced variety of observational tools that can serve to generation of another analytical multi-media GIGA-Map and this research’s further exploration.

The QR code with a link to our blog with post with the prototype’s Grasshopper code and an explanation is engraved into the prototype for the local communities to DIY under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Use Licence (Creative Commons, 2017) across the borders and the process GIGA-Map will be exhibited for learning and interaction. Since it is difficult for humans to cross, they might interact through generating exchangeable habitats of other species. Through questioning the transitions across the (eco-)systemic boundaries, we propose to question the political, when considering humans taking part of, also the eco-systemic, struggles from the bottom up!

For the Cyprian adaptation, we kindly than to the participants Panagiota Konatzii and Michalis Psaras to start the project one month before with their research on a tree selection and resolving its allowance from the local authorities.

2 Envisioned Outcome

The eco-systemic prototypical urban intervention should follow similar mode as the TreeHugger insect hotel responsive wood prototype from Prague (Davidová & Prokop, 2018; Davidová & Zímová, 2017). This all was to be adjusted to local environment (eco-systemic: natural, social and cultural), tools and participatory characters and skills that was available on place. The GIGA-Map documenting the design process is exhibited next to the prototype for participatory interaction. The performance registering from the last day of the conference will be discussed and possibly used for the digital GIGA-Map after the conference.

The project is to better the local natural, social and cultural environment. The following code and manual invites you to build your own TreeHugger in and with your community, adjusted to your local environment. DIY!

3 DIY Manual

3.1 Download the Code

The code is written for Rhino 6 (Robert McNeel & Associates, 2018) to be open there in Grasshopper (Davidson, 2017). Download its evaluation version here.

4.1 You are free to:

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

4.2 Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Within the framework of the first international ‘Something in the Kotlovan’ workshop series, organised by 86 International Ukrainian Film Festival, Collaborative Collective, Ukrainian trans-disciplinary workshop participants and the local community of Slavutych co-designed baby of SpiralTreeHouse (Davidová, 2013, 2014b, 2016, 2017), the Co-oCo-oNest.

Due to the disaster in 1986, the Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl gave rise to an exclusive eco-system (Deryabina et al., 2015) that turned the nuclear zone into natural tourist destination. This leads to the question of such adaptation of the local society and their built environment. In the time when we discuss about 80% of biodiversity or biomass loss in Western and Central Europe, this place is truly unique. Our workshop program claimed that the community needs to take an advantage of such local specificity and develop their cross-species co-living and co-habitation skills. These are advanced through community ‘co-design and co-creation’ (Sanders & Stappers, 2008) with the use of sketch models (see Figure 2), questionnaires and GIGA-Mapping (see Figure 3), a visual trans-disciplinary diagramming of complexity (Davidová, 2014a, 2017; Davidová & Zímová, 2017; Sevaldson, 2011, 2015). Many locals helped on the building site. The participants photographed and draw the local references while seek for their relations. While doing so, they co-designed eco-systemic ‘prototypical urban interventions’ (Doherty, 2005) and their fusion was physically prototyped. The reason for prototyping is twofold: 1] it teaches the participants prototyping skills for all the other prototypes realisation; 2] it develops a particular case study into realisation and its recipe is placed online so it can be locally adapted and reproduced elsewhere with Creative Commons Non-Commercial Use Licence (Creative Commons, 2017). The link to the recipe is distributed locally in form of QR code. We truly hope that the prototype can stay at the place. However, this is up to Slavutych municipality to decide. Therefore, during the festival event, the prototype Co-oCo-oNest serves as a learning tool for observations and alterations suggestions as well as an advertisement, motivating more interventions, exhibiting ‘Know How for DIY’.

What emerged from the disaster might fight to become the most sustainable island in Europe that lost its biodiversity and struggles to adapt to climate change. Such systemic relations will be investigated in the GIGA-Mapping that will engage true local specific study within global context. No community co-living situation will emerge from authorities. People usually address as their thing the things they co-create. Through strong local community engagement, we believe to build the community life from the bottom up!

1.3 Under the following terms // Відповідно до цих умов:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Eco-Systemic Co-Design for DIY

Marie Davidová, MArch, Ph.D. & Ing. Arch. Šimon Prokop

The railway lines at Slavutych station, which take commuters to jobs within the en:Zone of alienation around the en:Chernobyl disaster. Photo used under the Creative Commons Licence (Kierant, 2006)

Due to the disaster in 1986, the Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl gave rise to an exclusive eco-system (Deryabina et al., 2015) that turned the nuclear zone into natural tourist destination. This leads to the question of such adaptation of the local society and their built environment. In the time when we discuss about 80% of biodiversity or biomass loss in Europe, this place is truly unique. The workshop program claims that the community needs to take an advantage of such local specificity and develop their cross-species co-living and co-habitation skills. This will be advanced through community ‘co-design’ (Sanders & Stappers, 2008) with the use of GIGA-Mapping, a visual trans-disciplinary diagramming of complexity (Davidová, 2014, 2017; Davidová & Zímová, 2017; Sevaldson, 2011, 2015). The participants will photograph and draw the local references while seek for their relations. While doing so, they will co-design eco-systemic ‘prototypical urban interventions’ (Doherty, 2005) and one or more of them will be physically prototyped. The reason for prototyping is twofold: 1] it will teach the participants prototyping skills for all the other prototypes realisation; 2] it will develop a particular case study into realisation and its recipe will be placed online so it can be locally adapted and reproduced elsewhere with Creative Commons Non-Commercial Use Licence (Creative Commons, 2017). The link to the recipe will be engraved into the prototype in QR code with its digital ‘Grasshopper algorithmic code’ (Davidson, 2017) for fabrication. Therefore, during the festival event, the prototype will serve as a learning tool for observations and alterations suggestions as well as an advertisement, motivating more interventions. In case, the prototype cannot stay at the place, we will seek to find its permanent location starting with the end of the festival. What emerged from the disaster might fight to become the most sustainable island in Europe that lost its biodiversity and struggles to adapt to climate change. Such systemic relations will be investigated in the GIGA-Mapping that will engage true local specific study within global context. No community co-living situation will emerge from authorities. People usually address as their thing the things they co-create. Let us build the community life from the bottom up!

We are glad to inform you, that our 6th eCAADe RIS 2018 workshop submission has been accepted!!!!
We will present a paper on Czech TreeHugger there and than in the evening show its Cyprian adaptation!!!

TreeHugger:The Eco‐Systemic Prototypical Urban Intervention in The United Nations Buffer Zone in Nicosia

Figure 1: TreeHugger: Responsive Wood Insect Hotel that offers a variety of climatic and spatial conditions to be met with diverse insects’ preferences. This is achieved by global axis orientation, the shape of the hotel and cutting the panels from different positions of the tree trunk. Please also take note of the social communication and engagement of people and the insect habitation architecture (Photo: Carrithers 2017)

1 Introduction

The workshop will be referenced to presented paper with the same name without location, offering hands on experience of prototyping and placing into public space the responsive wood insect hotel, TreeHugger. This eco‐systemic ‘prototypical urban intervention’ (Davidová, 2004; Doherty, 2005) would preferably take place at one of the trees in The United Nations Buffer Zone in Nicosia. The very difficult political‐urban situation gave birth to rich bio‐topes on a bio‐corridor within the, otherwise very anthropocentric, city centre of Nicosia, Cyprus. The research addresses the landscape ecologists’ discussion that our agricultural land has become so toxic (i.e. use of pests) that many species, that had adapted to them hundreds years ago, are recently adapting for the life in the cities. Nearly 80% of flying insects in biomass have disappeared since eighties/nineties in Western Europe from our landscape (Vogel, 2017). In similar percentage follows the decrease of birds that eats them (Czech Ornithologists Association, 2016). As architectural researchers addressing such data, we claim that we need to adapt our anthropocentrically evolved cities for the co‐living situation with other species across the communities.
The workshop will provide a lecture and consultancy on responsive solid wood system panelling Ray
and TreeHugger prototype that is presented as a paper at the conference. The hands on will start with adjusting its Grasshopper code to the local tools and local specific parameters. For high speed visual complexity communication, in this case analogue, process‐based diagramming, so called ‘GIGAMapping’ (Davidová, 2014; Sevaldson, 2011, 2013, 2015), will be used. Next to the above mentioned, the participants will explore the responsive solid wood digital fabrication skills, critical public space eco‐systemic intervention skills and most importantly, the performing and interacting prototype’s
observations registrations. When intervening the public space, you will‐ and need to‐ engage with the locals. Engaging them into the project generates co‐design and avoids vandalism. We will also teach variety of observational tools that can serve to generation of another analytical multi‐media GIGA‐Map and this research’s further exploration.
The QR code with a link (planned to put on Rhino News) to Grasshopper code and explanation will be engraved into the prototype for the local communities to DIY across the borders and the process GIGA‐Map will be exhibited for learning and interaction. Since it is difficult for humans to cross, they might interact through generating exchangeable habitats of other species. Through questioning the transitions across the (eco‐)systemic boundaries, we propose to question the political, when considering humans taking part of, also the eco‐systemic, struggles from the bottom up!
Note: For our application in Prague, please, see the paper ‘COLridor: Co‐Design and Co‐Living for Sustainable Futures’ (Davidová & Zímová, 2017) or our facebook page ‘COLridor’ (Davidová, 2017a).

2 Lecturers’ Bios:

2.1 Marie Davidová, MArch., Ph.D.

is a researcher and main investigator of Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) project currently lead at the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University in Liberec in cooperation with the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. She has defended her PhD thesis ‘Wood as a Primary Medium to Eco‐Systemic Performance: The Case Study in Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance’ (Davidová, 2017b) in Architecture: Theory and Creation in January 2018 at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the Faculty of Architecture, MOLAB Department. The
thesis was developed under the supervision of Miloš Florián (FLO|W) and Birger Sevaldson (Ocean Design Research Association) and represents an in‐depth case study investigation within SAAP design field. At this faculty, Marie had been also collaborating as a scientific consultant in studios FLO|W and PET‐MAT, since 2013 until 2017 and in 2016‐17, respectively.
Marie is a practising architect and researcher, founding member and chair of Collaborative Collective practice design‐research network and NGO. She gained her master’s degree in architecture (2007) at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design under the supervision of Birger Sevaldson (Ocean Design Research Association) and Per Kartvedt (Archigram) with a thesis and environment responsive installation ‘HOLOSLO – The Penetrating of Latent’ (Davidová, 2007), that was developed with Systems Oriented Design. Marie had been working as an architect in design research practices Snøhetta and Expology in Oslo, and researching and teaching as a university lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art at the University of Science and Technology in
Trondheim. She has been visiting trans‐disciplinary studio course leader at the Architectural Institute in Prague and at the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University in Liberec, both respectively in collaboration with the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. These two courses focused and resulted in building environment responsive wooden pavilions for moderating urban heat islands in the city of Prague.
Marie founded and led Trends and Tendencies in Contemporary Architecture reading seminar at the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University in Liberec with the focus on that the today design‐research meets practice. Her last trans‐disciplinary community co‐design built project COLridor is to support bio‐top and bio‐corridor within the city centre of Prague. The research addresses the landscape ecologists’ discussion that our agricultural land has become so toxic (i.e. use of pests) that many species, that had adapted to them hundreds years ago, are recently adapting for the life in the cities. As architectural researchers addressing their data, we claim that we need to adapt our anthropocentrically evolved cities for the co‐living situation with other species across the communities. The project is also using responsive wood concept for variety of
micro‐climates for dwellings of other species. For the built prototypes – ‘eco‐systemic urban interventions’ ‐ in public space, Marie funded a multi‐genre community festival EnviroCity, to promote her research and sustainable cities in general to public.
Marie has founded the Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) design field. SAAP is fusion of process‐based fields formally initiated by integration of Systems Oriented Design and Performance Oriented Architecture. It develops methodology and generates theory through experimental practice. SAAP involves Time Based Eco‐Systemic Trans‐Disciplinary Co‐Design that isperformed by both biotic and abiotic agents, including humans. It belongs to broader field of Systemic Design, considering overall eco‐system. Marie has held guest lectures and workshops in this field across Europe, North America, Asia and Africa, where she is also widely published and exhibited.
This research has been by now financed by grants from EEA and Norway Grants, EEA Grants, 2 Student Grant Competitions from Czech Ministry of Education and by several stipends such as Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology, Research and Education in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe or Mobility Funds from Czech Ministry of Education. The research has also received funds and sponsoring from several Collaborative Collective NGO grant and sponsoring submissions, namely the Forests of the Czech Republic, Skanska, Rothoblaas, Stora Enso, Via Foundation, NUVIT research association and from Collaborative Collective sister practice network. In all these cases, Marie has created the project proposal and afterwards lead the design‐research
project until its completion and final report. Marie has been volunteering in Prague Central Station Refugee Help Initiative since 2015 where she has been trained in ethics and various sensitivities issues (gender, sex, race, religion, anonymity protection, psychological issues, defence against racist and sexist attacks, etc). She has also training
in Krav Maga self‐defence course on the practical side point of view in extreme situations. She is practicing Yoga and extensive swimming relaxation exercising. Therefore, she has good experience and mind set to deal with and/or leading diverse teams, communities and social groups.

2.2 Ing. Arch. Šimon Prokop

graduated from Faculty of Architecture at Czech Technical University in Prague. His master thesis investigated relationships between music and architecture, mainly musical improvisation and architectonic sketching in studio FLO|W (Prokop, 2015a, 2015b, 2016). After realizing the fact that both architecture and music production main tools need to have a parametric interface to provide full customizability, both fields got together even close. The thesis explored similar these issues. The main milestones, their correlations and proposed way to transcribe musical improvisation into shapes was afterwards used in designing architecture as well as transcription in the opposite way. The architecture was the primary inspiration and the structural driver for musical compositions.
Šimon teaches CAAD‐Scripting at the MOLAB Department of Design Modelling where emphasises on parametric and generative design. He has been also a scientific consultant in Experimental studio PET‐MAT lead by Henri Achten and Kateřina Nováková, both at the Faculty of Architecture, Czech Technical University in Prague. He had been a visiting transdisciplinary studio leader together with Marie Davidová at the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University in Liberec in cooperation with the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Šimon frequently organises and holds workshops of visual programming using
Grasshopper platform. This covers i.e. the Technical University in Prague, the Architectural Institute Prague, the Technical University of Liberec and variety private companies.
Šimon is founding member and chair of the management board of PETMAT, z.ú., an NGO based in Prague aiming to promote social responsibility when using plastics. PETMAT is an unofficial spinoff of the Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Architecture, which evolved from a research group at that faculty while working on sponsored research dealing with usage of recycled plastic bottles in architecture. He is also a member of Collaborative Collective NGO where he focuses on parametric and generative design process and optimization tasks. Šimon plays guitar in band called Vít Hasl Band and composes music. Lately he has started developing a new type of guitar called Enkidu with custom guitar builder Jan Běhounek.

3 Number of Participants

Around 5‐15 – can be adjusted

4 Previous Knowledge of the Participants

No previous knowledge required. We will be happy to welcome participants from various backgrounds with variety of experiences to enrich our research.

5 Required Infrastructure of the Participants

Please, bring whatever you find relevant as analysing and recording tools for our workshop proposal. Next to that, we would like to ask you to bring notebook with Grasshopper running and possibly some registering and analysing soft wares based on your preferences (MATlab, Sound Forge, etc.).
Please, bring your personal physical drawing tools, cameras, video and sound recorders, thermocams and all the variety of recording tools and their players, you imagine.

6 Detailed Timetable

The workshop will start on May 23rd lunch and last all day May 24th . On March 25th evening will be the presentation of results.

7.3 25th May:

 Observations of Prototype’s Performance During Symposium Breaks
 TreeHugger Paper for eCAADe RIS Symposium Presentation
 18:30 – Presentation of the built Prototype, process GIGA‐Map and the performance
registering to eCAADe RIS Participants and to the Local Public we Managed to Engage When Building and Tagging the Place.

7 Envisioned Outcome

The eco‐systemic prototypical urban intervention should follow similar mode as the TreeHugger insect hotel responsive wood prototype from Prague (please, see Figure 1, the accepted paper proposal and (Davidová & Zímová, 2017)) . This all has to be adjusted to local environment (ecosystemic: natural, social and cultural), tools and participatory characters and skills that will be available on place. We would be also happy to exhibit the process GIGA‐Map documenting the design process for participatory interaction. The performance registering from the last day of the conference will be discussed and possibly used for the digital GIGA‐Map after the conference.

8 Register

Please, register through the official website and contakt Marie Davidova: md@collcoll.cc and Odysseas Kontovourkis: kontovourkis.odysseas@ucy.ac.cy about your selection.

The present research considers wood as a study material for a wider question on architecture’s environmental[1] interaction. It aims to explore its potential for eco-systemic[2]performances[3] and atmospheres[4] as well as to broaden the discussion on this problem area by accessing the public space and professional practice calls. My project researches such interactions through practical experiments as well as theoretical reflections, including examinations of other scientific, design, artistic and crafts disciplines. It honestly discusses the successes as well as the failures and weak points to develop a strong background for eco-systemic collaborative design-research practice.

The methodology Research by Design[5] while full scale prototyping is covered by the Systems Oriented Design[6] to interpret and develop complex environmental relations. While doing so, this work also claims develop the methodology itself and to generatetheory through experimental practice. The fusion of these process based fields led to the ratification of new design field: Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance[7].

This is an article based thesis[8], where the texts of the articles have been shortened of the parts mentioned elsewhere in the work and underwent through language check. These serve as an addendum covered with an exegesis. Most of the repeating images were removed from the articles. If there is an exception this is reasoned through its important relation to the present text.

All substantial contributions are mentioned within the text and/or summarized in the Thanks chapter. To mention the main institutions and practice/NGO’s respectively, this research has been collaboratively developed at the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, the Architectural Institute Prague, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, the Faculty of Civil Engineering the Czech Technical University in Prague, Collaborative Collective, Defio, Oximoron, re.code.nature, CooLAND, Experis SDKM and reSITE.

This work is a second, revised edition of the thesis, when the first, work in progress, publication called Wood as a Primary Medium to Architectural Performance: A Case Study in Performance Oriented Architecture Approached through Systems Oriented Design (Davidová, 2016m) served as a tool to receive broader feedback from its readers. The first publication was kindly supported by EEA and Norway Grants through the project Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance, was printed on paper with 100% of recycled fibre. This edition was reviewed by a gender equal team and is to be defended in front of a gender equal selection of opponents. The work itself is dedicated to our Biosphere[9].

[1] ‘Environment is physical and biological surroundings of an organism. The environment covers non-living (abiotic) factors such as temperature, soil, atmosphere and radiation, and also living (biotic) organisms such as plants, microorganisms and animals.’ (Oxford University Press, 2004)

[2] Ecosystem was described by Allen and Roberts as an ecological system inside the system that includes the geophysical part. (T. F. H. Allen & Roberts, 1993)

[3] Leatherbarrow is explaining the performance view on construction: ‘…when the preparations of well-designed construction are seen to be inevitably inadequate, when the finished work is understood to be necessarily incomplete, because the world of which it is part is recognized as a field of forces that will, over time and unpredictably, re-qualify what design and construction had pre-qualified.’ (Leatherbarrow, 2013)

[4] ‘Quality in architecture . . . is to me when a building manages to move me. What on earth is it that moves me? How can I get it into my own work? . . . How do people design things with such a beautiful, natural presence, things that move me every single time. One word for it is Atmosphere.’ (Zumthor, 2006a)

[5] ‘Research by Design is any kind of inquiry in which design is a substantial part of the research process. In research by design, the architectural design process forms a pathway through which new insights, knowledge, practices or products come into being. Research by design generates critical inquiry through design work that may include realized projects, proposals, possible realities or alternatives. Research by design produces forms of output and discourse proper to disciplinary practice, verbal and non-verbal that make it discussable, accessible and useful to peers and others. Research by design is validated through peer review by panels of experts who collectively cover the range of disciplinary competencies addressed by the work.’ (ResEAAErch, 2017)

[6] Systems Oriented Design: ‘an approach to learn how to better cope with very complex issues as designers. The approach is influenced and inspired by modern systems thinking and systems practice and inspired by generative diagramming. Design practice, systems thinking, systems practice, design thinking, information visualisation, diagramming, GIGA-mapping, research by design, research through design, design for complexity, sustainability.’ (Sevaldson, 2013c)

[7] The notion of Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance was first expressed by me in 2016 as a title for collaborative project among me, Birger Sevaldson, Michael Hensel and Miloš Florián that was fusing Performance Oriented Architecture and Systems Oriented Design. This project was supported by EEA and Norway Grants as a bilateral partnership program between the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec and the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (Davidová, 2016k, 2016l). The project’s continuation among the same design – researchers participants for the bilateral partnership between the CTU in Prague and the Oslo School of Architecture and Design has been recently submitted for funding to the same donor.

[8]PhD Thesis Requirements at CTU in Prague: ‘1. A dissertation is the result of solving a particular scientific or artistic task; PhD student demonstrates the ability to work independently in a creative way and it must contain original authorship of the dissertation published results of scientific or artistic work or results accepted for publication; 2. A general theme or themes of dissertation are offered during the admissions procedure on the basis of the future supervisor, followed by the recommendation of the head of the training department and the consent of the Scientific Committee. A more specific definition of the topic within the thematic area is possible upon an agreement between the supervisor and the candidate; 3. The title of the dissertation, including its load is set at the latest at the end of the study unit on the basis of the submitted studies and debates on the topic of dissertation under – see Art. 27 paragraph. 7th; 4. The dissertation can be recognized and accepted as a set of publications or manuscripts joint by an integrating text; 5. dissertation is written in Czech, Slovak or English. Applicants may, with the agreement of the President of the Scientific Committee, submit a dissertation in one of the other world languages. Other formal requirements for dissertation is specified by the dean of the faculty. If the work does not meet these formal requirements it may be not accepted by department for science and research for further proceedings. In case of doubt the decision is concluded by the Dean. (Konvalinka, 2015)

>> PhD Thesis Requirements at FA CTU in Prague:‘Formal and Content of State doctoral examinations, dissertation and its defence is specified in the requirements and recommendations for additional SER CTU.’ (Lábus, 2016)

>> Additional PhD Thesis Requirements and Recommendations by SER CTU: ‘Also dissertation as a set of publications or accepted manuscripts joined by integrating text can be recognized. Dissertation is written in Czech, Slovak or English language… …Dissertation has the following formalities and obligatorily includes: 1. The cover or first page: marking the university, the faculty and supervising department, dissertation title, ‘Doctoral Thesis’ title, name of the PhD candidate, the year of submission, supervisor’s name, study program, field of study; 2. In the introductory part: target of the dissertation and an overview of the current state of the science issues (with references to literature); 3. In the final part: overview of results, including the original dissertation doctoral student contribution (i.e. a brief overview of the results of dissertation and how to improve the current situation), the conclusions for future the advancement of science or for implementation in practice; 4. One-page abstract in English.’ (Fialová, 2016)

[9] Biosphere is ‘irregularly shaped envelope of the earth’s air, water, and land encompassing the heights and depths at which living things exist. The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system (see ecology), sustained by grand-scale cycles of energy and of materials—in particular, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, certain minerals, and water. The fundamental recycling processes are photosynthesis, respiration, and the fixing of nitrogen by certain bacteria. Disruption of basic ecological activities in the biosphere can result from pollution.’ (Lagasse & Columbia University, 2016)

We are happy to close the September reverberations and therefore this year so successfully! // EC 2017 je za náma! Projděte si záříjové dozvuky 🙂

We started with an excellent workshop by Linda Blaasvær on GIGA-Mapping interests, engagements and visions within the community. The workshop was very successful and engaged more members of the community into the action and speculations on their future development.

‘Who We Are / Who Are We’ workshop by Linda Blaasvær (photo: Carrithers 2017)

We very much enjoyed to join the European Heritage Days by our Sunday lectures on studies of Norwegian and Czech traditional architectures. Namely on semi-interior spaces in extreme climates that invites for eco-systemic interaction across biotic and abiotic agents. And the history of Czech settlements based on environmental conditions and the development of the oldest human co-living with other species in Czechia, bee keeping. We ended the session with our precious dancer Jana Vrána’s contemporary dance performance called: Biological Co-Dance making the event spectacular.

The Sunday was pretty awesome. We started with VR game by Keteřina Horák Goryczka and Jan Horák, mapping our area with bumble bee until you reach its hotel. Than we continued in a serious way with our most precious guest, Birger Sevaldson, discussing Systems Oriented Design in relation to Environmental Business and Democracy. Birger took us through solid theoretical background to argue for public activism and consciousness. You can download his brilliant lecture hare:Designing for Environment Business and Democracy Contradictions and Synergies

VR game Bumblerun by Keteřina Horák Goryczka and Jan Horák in Public Space of Nusle Stairs (photo: Carrithers 2017)

Birger Sevaldson’s Lecture for Local Community: Designing for Environment Business and Democracy: Contradictions and Synergies (photo: Carrithers 2017)

On Wednesday was our closing day and it was just great! Jan Bárta related by interactive performance to the community engagement and togetherness. It brought both feelings – some more open than expected; – some less…

Jan Bárta: Standing up- vol.2 Performance (Photo: Pánková 2017)

We continued with the evaluation or our project and contemplated on the results and our futures. This helped with suggestions from the community for future engagements and directions and also their appreciation and involvement.

GIGA-mapping Svalgangs 2016 (the map of Norway is a public source from: Central Intelligence Agency: https://www.cia.gov/ the macro climatic diagrams are used with the courtesy of yr.no reached at yr, 2016)

To look back after July’s reverberations, the events were on human-environmental interactions, joining today digital technologies with eco-systemic environment. We opened the reverberations and Šimon Prokop used environmental sound data for music generation. Ben James created VR app for environmental development speculations. And Karolína Kotnourová generated interactive bat mapping from ultra-sound recordings.

Figure 21: Pilgrimage of st Methard in Local Chapel and local history discussion by Old Catholic Church (photo: Robert Carrithers 2017) – Pouť sv. Medarda a vyprávění o historii lokality od Starokatolické církve (foto: Robert Carrithers 2017)

This initiative is focused on awareness and in-depth knowledge in the field of biodiversity and ecosystemic services. The community multi-genre festival EnviroCity and its reverberations that serves to support monitoring and analysis of the local biotope, will engage general public as well as professional audience of wider range of types. There will be also performed study on mapping svalgangs, the semi-interior space of Norwegian traditional architecture, for monitoring and adaptation to climate change and an article about it will be sent to reviewing process. The study will be presented at festival EnviroCity’s reverberations. This will support the development of the study. The initiative is than to support all fields of the call of the program: Biodiversity and ecosystemic services, Monitoring and integrated planning, Climate change adaptation and its popularisation.

The iniciative Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) is a continuation of the project with the same name (Davidová, 2016a, 2016b) that was supported last year within CZ07 – Scholarship Programme and Bilateral Scholarship Programme by EEA and Norway Grants. This project resulted in a fusion of process-based fields formally initiated by integration of Systems Oriented Design (SOD) (Sevaldson, 2013) and Performance Oriented Architecture (POA) (Hensel, 2015) and was ratified as its own design field. The fields have been founded and developed at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and therefore there is better experience in the area. SAAP develops methodology and generates theory through experimental practice. This initiative will develop this concept further through common collaborative public events and actions and in depth expert study and thus will support publicity of biodiversity and ecosystemic services in the Czech Republic and its settlements adaptation to climate change.

The initiative is to support community transdisciplinary activity for supporting bio-top at Nusle Stairs within Prague city centre (Davidová, 2017). The activity is to generate biodiversity within the location and through co-design and public events to support eco-systemic co-living and public understanding and pride of being part of such system. The public events, covered by EnviroCity festival (Davidová & Kernová, 2016; Kernová, 2014) will generate research studies and future co-design themselves. Invited presenters have to relate to the bio-top project and have to interpret it through their profession and art-performance-design-research-science field. Since the initiative is long lasting Time Based Eco-Systemic Co-Design, EnviroCity will have a strong effect on local built environment development.

Through study trips for traditional architecture research in more extreme locations, the field investigation will be extended towards architectural adaptation to climate change as weather extremes are expected in our locations (Czech Republic Ministry of the Environment & Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, 2015; Flæte et al., 2010). These studies will map eco-systemic interaction of semi-interior spaces called svalgangs, the spaces between exterior and interior. Please, see RSD5 paper, related to this topic (Davidová, 2016a). Through the combination of soft and hard data from digital devices, cameras but also personal experience expressions, the study will cover the options for adaptation to the extremes approaching Czech Republic in broader complexity.

Festival EnviroCity with its reverberations and svalgangs mapping are tightly interconnected when one activity supports the other through its events. Both together are to support ecosystemic adaptation to climate change, when we will through non-anthropocentric architecture (Hensel, 2015) interact with other species through spaces, that are neither interior nor exterior, or through actions in public space.

Last week, Marie Davidová held a GIGA-Mapping workshop on appreciation of new coming cultures through their culture and invited lecture on Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance at RAID conference focused on post digital age at Ecole Superieur des Sciences et TEchnologie du Design (المدرسة العليا لعلوم وتكنولوجيات التصميم) in Tunis, Tunisia. In the 2,5 hours transdisciplinary workshop, we mapped the impacts of cultural exchange across the world. The result is a field map with registering impacts and their interpretations. The lecture was introducing the new design field as a fusion of process-based fields into Time Based Eco-Systemic Co-Design that involves both, biotic and abiotic agents, including humans.

Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance is ratified as fusion of process based fields formally initiated by integration of Systems Oriented Design and Performance Oriented Architecture. It develops methodology and generates theory through experimental practice.

SAAP involves Time Based Eco-Systemic Co-Design that involves both, biotic and abiotic agents, including humans.

The present research considers wood as a study material for a wider question
on architecture’s environmental interaction. It aims to explore its potential for architectural performance and atmospheres as well as to broaden the discussion on this problem area by accessing the public space. My project researches such interactions through practical experiments as well as theoretical reflections, including examinations of other scientific, artistic and crafts disciplines and honestly discusses both the successes as well as the failures and weak points to develop a strong background for architectural and urban design practice.
The methodology Research by Design while full scale prototyping is covered by the Systems Oriented Design to interpret and develop complex environmental relations.
This is an article based thesis, where the texts of the articles have not been changed
and serve as an addendum covered with an exegesis. Most of the repeating images were
removed from the articles. If there is an exception this is reasoned through its important
relation to the present text.
All the substantial contributions are mentioned within the text and/or summarized in
the Thanks section. To mention the main institutions and practice/NGO’s respectively,
this research has been developed at the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical
University of Liberec, the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, the Architectural Institute Prague, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Collaborative Collective, Defio, Oximoron, re.code.nature and reSITE.

The publication of the thesis was kindly supported by EEA and Norway Grants through the
project Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance, is printed on paper with 100%
of recycled fibre and is dedicated to my family, friends, colleagues, students and everyone
interested in the field.

Endless Thanks chapter says all:

“First I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to my supervisors, Miloš Florián from the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University (FA CTU), Birger Sevaldson from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) and Ocean Design Research Association and Zdeněk Fránek from the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec (FUA TUL) and Fránek Architects, for providing great support and inspiration during my work. A special thanks to Birger for very precisely reviewing the thesis.

Many thanks are also directed to Cyril Říha from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (AAAD), Department of Arts Theory, who has been asking critical questions about my work and critically reviewed the written text and to Peter Buš from ETH Zürich for fast review of the final stage of the thesis.

My great appreciation is sent to Monika Mitášová from the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts of Trnava University and to Michael Ulrich Hensel the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and Ocean Design Research Association for agreeing on being opponents for the thesis.

I express sincere gratitude to Matthew Krimmel from the Institute of Language Education (IJV) for language review.

I highly appreciate my cooperation with Jan Škuta from Škuta Design, who is the author of graphic design of the printed and PDF version of the thesis and posters within the project Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance and corporate identity design for EnviroCity Festival.

Many thanks to Eva Nováková for the formatting of the Word document of the thesis.

Great thanks belong to all my dear friends and colleagues from Collaborative Collective for their fantastic support and inspiration before and during the project in various ways, without whom it would never be able to reach its dimensions and ambitions.

Special thanks to my closest pavilion co-workers Šimon Prokop from the MOLAB, FA CTU in Prague and Collaborative Collective and Martin Gsandtner from the CIEE Global Architecture and Design Program and re.code.nature for providing Grasshopper leadership within the pavilions projects. Also to Martin Šichman from the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Faculty of Architecture and Oximoron for being the leader in tooling and detailing within the pareSITE pavilion project and to Jan Zatloukal from the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Experis DSKM, s.r.o. for solution and periodical checks of the LOOP pavilion when we experienced structural problems.

Very heartfelt gratitude belongs to all the students of FLD CZU, ARCHIP and FUA TUL for their work. Namely, thanks to Jiří Šmejkal and Alena Novotná for their great involvement.

My great thanks is owed to the academy co-operators: Jiří Suchomel, the vice dean at FUA TUL for the great cooperation with FUA TUL. Alsoto Regina Loukotová, the dean of ARCHIP, for her great cooperation with ARCHIP and to Irena Fialová, the vice dean at FA CTU in Prague and to Zdeňka Němcová Zedníčková, the vice dean at FUA TUL for all the support during my studies.

For leadership of great cooperation during the pavilion projects I would like to especially thank Martin Böhm and Jan Bomba from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences (FLD CZU). Pavel Novák, from the FLD CZU, was a great workshop leader and co-worker in the carpenters’ workshop as well as support for the pavilion measuring. My great thanks belongs to Aleš Zeidler, from the FLD CZU, who was a great consultant within the solid wood material science and to Radim Sýkora and Martin Sviták, from the FLD CZU, who were a great co-operators for CNC milling.

Carpenters Petr Bouma, Aleš Kořínek and their co-workers from Defio, s.r.o. also deserve much appreciation for their work on development and prototyping of the project Ray.

My big thanks belongs to Vladimír Kočí, from the Institute of Chemical Technology for conceptualising, modelling and consulting interpretations of LCA analysis.

Many thanks to Michaela Kernová/Pánková for her excellent program management of the EnviroCity Festival, giving it a professional and educational atmosphere, to all its performers and to Milota Sidorová, Martin Barry and Osamu Okamura for their cooperation with the reSITE festival.

I would like to thank to my sister Václava Davidová for keeping my Ray prototypes in her courtyard and to her neighbours the Stará family for their everyday observations of its performance at the times I could not be present. I certainly must not forget to mention my thanks to my friend David Hlouch for his adventurous transportation of the Ray 2 prototype from Defio, s.r.o. to the site.

I should also not forget to thank my dear friend Synnøve Landvik and her family for providing background for my stays and travels in Norway while all the time offering boundless support.

Special thanks to Terje Planke from Norsk Folkemuseet, Oslo for the consultancy and measurements enabling and to Jon Bojer Godal from Nordmøre Museum, Norway for consultancy and references.

I would like to thank Knut Einar Larsen, my former colleague from the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, for discussing references on Norwegian traditional panelling; to Josef Šanda, from AAAD who provided his consultancy in material science and references; to algologists Jiří Komárek, from the Třeboň department of the Institute of Botany and Jiří Neústupa, from the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University of Prague, for providing their samples and consultancy; to Ladislav Bakay from the Department of Planting Design and Maintenance, Horticulture and Landscape Engineering Faculty, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra for providing data on carbon emissions for LCA analysis; to Helena Pánková, from Matério, who has supported my research with building materials consultancy; to Josef Kudrna, an axeman, who offered his consultancy from his practical experience with wood-humidity interaction and to Pavel Kašpar from Acolor, s.r.o. for samples and consultations on different stain preservatives. There were also many other consultants directly involved through the students, mainly from various faculties of The Technical University of Liberec and The Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at The Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague.

I would like to express my appreciation for the support from my friends and colleagues at the MOLAB department at the Faculty of Architecture at The Czech Technical University in Prague.

Many thanks are owed to the FUA TUL administrative staff, most of all to Eva Konopová and to Marta Petrová, for their great assistance with grants and study issues.

I also would like to thank those who granted me permission for utilisation of their images and to all the photographers without whom my thesis would be much less enriched.

Thanks to all of you coming this Thursday for the launch. Special thanks to Šimon Prokop for the great speech and together with Krištof Hanzlík for baptism. Not forgeting to thank to all involved in the research and publlication!

The books at AHO and FUA TUL, unless reserved, are gone. You can still get your copy at Coll Coll, Sněmovní 15, Praha 1.

We are proud to invite you to Marie Davidova‘s PhD thesis: Wood as a Primary Medium to Architectural Performance: A Case Study in Performance Orientad Architecture Approached through Systems Oriented Design launch!

The launch will take place in Coll Coll’s courtyard: Snemovni 15, Prague 1, 1st September 6:30 pm

The present research considers wood as a study material for a wider question on architecture’s environmental interaction. It aims to explore its potential for architectural performance and atmospheres as well as to broaden the discussion on this problem area by accessing the public space. My project researches such interactions through practical experiments as well as theoretical reflections, including examinations of other scientific, artistic and crafts disciplines and honestly discusses both the successes as well as the failures and weak points to develop a strong background for architectural and urban design practice.

The methodology Research by Design while full scale prototyping is covered by the Systems Oriented Design to interpret and develop complex environmental relations.

This is an article based thesis, where the texts of the articles have not been changed and serve as an addendum covered with an exegesis. Most of the repeating images were removed from the articles. If there is an exception this is reasoned through its important relation to the present text.

All the substantial contributions are mentioned within the text and/or summarized in the Thanks section. To mention the main institutions and practice/NGO’s respectively, this research has been developed at the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec, the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, the Architectural Institute Prague, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Collaborative Collective, Defio, Oximoron, re.code.nature and reSITE.

The publication of the thesis was kindly supported by EEA and Norway Grants through the project Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance, is printed on paper with 100% of recycled fibre and is dedicated to my family, friends, colleagues, students and everyone interested in the field.

The book will be available for free at the party – please, welcome!

In case you don’t make it, you can also pick up your copy at COLL COLL, FUA TUL – in Marta Petrova’s office, Oslo School of Architecture and Design reception, Fakulta lesnická a dřevařská – ČZU v Praze – in Martin Bohm’s office and in ARCHIP‘s office.

The publication was kindly supported by EEA and Norway Grants within the project Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance.

Read the introduction as a teaser:

The research is seeking answers to the question of what is a solid pine wood’s environmental interaction and how it can be used in Performance Oriented Design (Michael U. Hensel, 2015a) applied in Czech locations. Inspired by the performance of traditional architecture from locations with more extreme climate histories, this case study mainly focuses on performative potentials of solid pine wood cut in tangential section; to be precise – its warping – and particularly how this might be applicable in the specific climatic conditions of Czechia. With today’s climatic change in our region, there is a necessity to search for the adaptation of our local architecture in different places where such conditions have been present.

The Czech National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation document clearly states that it is necessary to promote research and development of new materials and technology in reference to anticipated effects of climate change, such as strong gusty winds, extreme rainfall or snow totals or temperature extremes. The main issue in the urban environment mentioned is humidity extremes – long periods of very dry weather or extreme rains (Czech Republic Ministry of the Environment & Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, 2015). In this issue, the architecture is not considered. It is important to note that architects and urbanists were excluded from the document preparation. This research claims that architecture, especially its experimental field, may bring new perspectives to the discussion, joining climatic, material and biotic (including social), sciences.

The work covers two sub-projects resulting in four built prototypes: Performative Screens Ray and Environmental Summer Pavilions, where prototypes Ray 2, Ray 3, pareSITE and LOOP pavilions benefit from each other’s ideas, observations and results. The Ray project that was inspired by Norwegian traditional panelling and oriental screens called ‘mashrabīyas’ is proposing a screen that is airing and improving the environment by evaporating humidity in warm, dry weather while being resistant and sorping moisture in high relative humidity. The pavilions were mainly focused on evaporation such as in ‘mashrabīyas’, while using the idea from Norwegian traditional panelling of warping for humid air movement. These architectures were improving/may improve outdoor-indoor climatic comfort by providing shading and wind sheltering but also sorping moisture in high relative humidity level that is mainly at nights, while evaporating it on hot summer afternoons, when the relative humidity is on average the lowest. According to Banham, humidity has been the most pestiferous, subtle and elusive of control for most of architectural history, either too much or too little of it in certain climatic conditions (Banham, 2009). These prototypes wish to take this discussion further, applied for the location with both extremes and their increased expectations.

This research on solid wood cut in tangential section was greatly inspired by contemporary research on ply-wood and laminates, conducted by Michael Hensel, Achim Menges and others and research of Sustainable Environment Association (Michael U. Hensel, 2011b) co-founded by Michael U. Hensel, Defne Sunguroğlu Hensel and Birger Sevaldson that recently joined the Ocean Design Research Association (Michael Hensel, 2015). In the September/October 2015 issue of Architectural Design it was revealed that the research at the Institute of Computational Design at the University of Stuttgart led by Achim Menges is also planning to take the direction of research on solid wood cut in tangential section. (Menges & Reichert, 2015). This work has not yet been published.

Implementing ‘Bottom-Up’ approach starting with the material research, the ‘Top-Down’ method was slightly combined with ongoing speculations about possible applications as well as the pavilions were having their separate mission of being public architectural objects through which other observations started. At the same time, the need for such performative capacities was discussed several times through many projects in my practice, Collaborative Collective (Collaborative Collective, 2012), the most striking example of which is shown in the DCA2016 paper, Ray 3: The Performative Envelope (Davidová, 2016c). Though the project På Vei (Collaborative Collective, 2011) is not situated in the Czech Republic but Norway, the relevance of this possible application was so important that it was included into this otherwise very site-specific, thesis. For the project’s purposes, a sister NGO of the same name was established in conjunction with my colleagues from the practice. The ‘Research by Design’ thus joins not only academy with practice, but also an investigation on how radical architectural research by design can be organized in the format of the NGOs.

Besides literature studies on different topics like forestry, dendrology, wood material science and technology, climatology, algology, mycology, architectural history and conservation, today’s research in the field of responsive wood, environmental art, urban design and landscape architecture, etc. the project’s main research approach is based on Research by Design with 1:1 Scale prototyping and practical experiments directing towards sustainable applications in architecture and urban design. This main research mode has been supported by the methodology Systems Oriented Design (Sevaldson, 2013b). The approach helped to keep an overall view of the project and to address the systemic implications and connections. This also implied development of the methodology through its application into the specific design needs. Throughout the process, the GIGA-maps (Sevaldson, 2016a) were tools for this transdisciplinary project that was mapping hard data together with tacit and subliminal knowledge and experiences, targeting the architectural and urban design practice.

The thesis first chronologically positions my prototypes into the perspective of other research that has been done in the field and reasons why the root of solid wood has been taken through LCA comparison, modelled for the Czech Republic’s environment on the example of one of the prototypes.

The methodology chapter introduces approaches and/or development in all the methodologies involved. This covers Systems Oriented Design, Research by Design through full scale prototyping and the relations of Academy, Practice and NGO as well as transdisciplinary cooperation in the project. The last subchapter called Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance is discussing and introduces visions for merging digital design tools with prototyping, while handling different interrelated large amount of data as a designer in relation to GIGA-mapping. The research also covers the full scale prototypes observations that are also discussed in this chapter.

The chapter on material covers the study of forests of the placement of the research for selecting species related to closer observation of the material and its environmental interactions.

The projects section, after first speculations discussion and introduction, explains each prototype subproject in detail. This is divided not chronologically but by the two main projects sections Ray and Environmental Summer Pavilions.

The thesis is concluded in reference to the projects’ application, taking its role in social, or generally biotic, physical environmental perspective in reference to climatic change in the targeted location. It places the research case study into the context of larger range of different options of exterior-interior boundary conditions that I experienced in my practice or earlier in my studies, arguing for relevance of this application in practice. Some of the elaborated topics here are already proposing new explorations rather than fully closing the discussion.

This is an article-based thesis that covers entire articles published in press or submitted in a role of addendum glued together with exegesis that is richly referenced in my other articles that were not selected for full text. The selection of full articles was adapted to the suitability to different chapters of the thesis, such as methodology and specific projects’ developments and explanations.The full articles cover:

a) Full articles on method of selection of the used material and methodology:

Davidová, M. (2009). Exploring Environmental Dimensions : On Sustainability as an Architectural Problem ; Why It Is Not Enough To Discuss Space and Time Only. In Nordes 2009 – Engaging Artifacts (pp. 1–4). Oslo: Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

These were not included as full papers in the thesis for the reason of not complying with the logic of the structure: a) background and position of the research; b) methodology and its development; c) material in relation to environment; d) prototypes; e) discussion and conclusions.

‘The main author is using transdisciplinary studio courses as a research tool in the field of performative wood. Through sharing the knowledge between architectural, environmental design, and wood science researchers and students, we managed to develop complex 1:1 scale prototypes. The course process is a learning arena for students, teachers and researchers and the skills, competences and insights are being developed through experimental practice. The second prototype of the Environmental Summer Pavilion II course was created from reflection upon the first one while both serve as complex material-environment interaction studies for the development of responsive envelopes.’

The project had a crucial meeting before finishing one particular state. This involved Michael Hensel’s public lecture and common discussion on its future and current development joining also Birger Sevaldson, Marie Davidová and interested colleagues.

Figure 1: Michael Hensel’s lecture (photo: Šafářová 2016)

Michael Hensel’s lecture started from the point of architecture that is responsive to its environment and ended by discussion on living architecture that is grown from that on the example of planned project on wine yards in Bordeaux. The moves towards architecture that is fully part of its environment were discussed in the means of non-antropocentric architecture considering both, biotic and abiotic factors. This involves tools and methods that support such designs. Hensel and Sørensen are reading real time local environmental data and implementing VR simulations. This has particular potential for Systems Oriented Design development in the means of so called Rich Design Research Space.

An article on this in Czech as a reflection on the lecture was published on the most known online architectural media in Czech Republic, ARCHIWEB.

The common discussions of the project participants were focused on new investigations, this involved differences and potentials in Czech historical or traditional architecture, use of new and recycled materials, political situation within design context and importance of implementing nature into city infrastructure. For this reason we visited today discussed bio-corridor Zvonařka in Prague, where Marie Davidová takes part in initiative for protecting it. Based on the discussion, Marie Davidová got in touch with ecologist Kateřina Zímová from NGO CooLand, who prepared for her prestudy on its environmental importance in the region for her neighbourhood public speech and collaboration on grant application was agreed.

Figure 2: Marie Davidová at the Neighborhood Meeting after the Activity (photo: Bláhová)

In Liberec, we visited Ještěd for getting an overview of the regional natural diversity and regional architectural tradition. The relationship of human mind and the landscape, natural as well as architectural, in reference to homelands was contemplated all the way through the journey.

Figure 3: Ještěd visit (photo: Šafářová 2016)

Visit of Kutná Hora was in particular interest as the architecture and city was modulated by historical and social development and is really local specific. The city was extremely rich due to the silver mining industry while its decrease had strong effect on its development. I.e. St. Barbara’s church was originally planned to be two times longer which caused asymmetry in its architecture. Similar increases and decreases are visible all over the place. The city partly stopped to evolve, so its gothics outfit mostly remained. The local material of sandstone remains sea life with its shell marks, confirming both, biotic and abiotic origin. In the mines, bio-tops with algae developed over times. This could lead to new material development in the future.

Figure 4: Visit of Kutná Hora (photo: Davidová 2016)

Relationship of the politics and design was of particular interest of the discussions. This relates to Marie Davidova’s starting systemic project GIGA‐mapping the Architectural Performance: Appreciation of New Coming Cultures that relates to refugees crisis and Birger Sevaldson’s coming project Design for Democracy.

Birger Sevaldson as second supervisor, had separate discussions with Marie Davidova about her research in general and the PhD project in particular. The discussion where summing up the project, the method of common cooperation and discussing strength and weaknesses in the thesis.

A gathering for discussion to strengthen the ideas and research within the field occurred with Birger first in café Sara the first day and in Internasjonalen the second day. Recent work and ideas for future work were discussed. The group had an opportunity to compare the different approaches and opportunities forming the research settings in Norway and in Czechia. The Czech team was overwhelmed by AHO’s facilities and open structure.

Systemic approach to refugee crisis through design and design for democracy were discussed with Birger Sevaldson. It was agreed that such projects need to involve direct implementations otherwise they are losing their points. The common paper for DCA in Istanbul generated the discussion on tacit knowledge among PhD students and environment with design perceived by different senses got to great interest of the PhD student Dana Raková, as it relates to her research area.

Different structural analysis methods were discussed with Søren Sørensen as this has been a weak point in Marie Davidová’s work before. It has been concluded that the direct cooperation with the plug in developer has to be undertaken during the design process. This has been of interest to Miloš Florián, as he is supervising a project on tools for structural analysis.

Prof. Michael U. Hensel [Dipl. Ing. Grad Dipl Des AA PhD Reading] is an architect, researcher, educator and writer. Currently he is tenured professor for architecture at AHO the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (https://aho.no/en) where he directs the Research Center for Architecture and Tectonics [RCAT] (http://www.rcat.no/). He is a founding member of OCEAN (1994), and founding and current chairman of the OCEAN Design Research Association (http://www.ocean-designresearch.net/) and the Sustainable Environment Association [SEA] (http://www.sustainableenvironmentassociation.net/). The OCEAN Design Research Association is an international and independent not-for-profit organization with the mission to conduct inter- and transdisciplinary research by design, and to develop overarching theoretical frameworks and related design methods in its specific areas of inquiry. SEA is an international and interdisciplinary not-for-profit expertise network that pursues systematic, integrative and interdisciplinary inquiry into the human-influenced and built environment and its interaction with the natural environment and local ecosystems with the aim to develop alternative approaches to architectural design and sustainability. From 2007 to 2012 he was board member of BIONIS – The Biomimetics Network for Industrial Sustainability.

From 1993 to 2009 he taught at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, where he co-initiated and co-directed the Emergent Technologies and Design Program from 2001 to 2009. He held numerous visiting professorships and innovation fellowships and taught and lectured in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia. In his academic work he integrates research and education with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity, critical ability and projective capacity.

His writings have been published in Chinese, Czech, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Spanish, and Turkish. He has authored, co-authored and edited numerous books and journals.

A study of non-discrete spaces in Norwegian traditional architecture was performed this February. The collected hard, as well as tacit data were related in GIGA-map. The matrix of different scales is connecting various types, spatial distribution and boundary conditions of so called ‘svalgangs’ with their opportunities and periodicity of use, micro climatic conditions of exchange between exterior, semi-interior and interior and macro climatic data and topology of their original location.

The above GIGA-map is exhibiting gradient of different boundary conditions from fully open to enclosures, mapping the designs’ feedback looping performance of biotic, as well as climatic or other physical agents, relating i.e. social to weather performance in one matrix field.

Birger Sevaldson’s workshop, covering five participants: Mirka Baklíková, Lucie Pavlištíková, Martin Málek, Mariia Borisova and Georgia Papasozomenou, introduced Systems Oriented Design (http://www.systemsorienteddesign.net/) methodology on mapping Marie Davidová’s research, Wood as a Primary Medium to Architectural Performance. Lectures and hands on work were in play. The final GIGA-map was exhibited in the main studio of FUA TUL (http://www.fua.tul.cz/) with an informal opening.

“ZIP-Analysis is a simple method for developing GIGA-maps and to find potential areas for interventions and innovations…

Z : Zoom is used to mark areas or points in your map that need more research. It is a reminder for you that you lack information and a initiater to make additional maps zooming into this area.

P : P stands for potential, problem, problematique, pain point. If there is an obvious problem this is a potential for improvement. The Pain Points used by some are obviously P points but using the term potential is more neutral. There could be big potentials in things that work very fine. One could use this as a inspiration to improve things that work not so fine or one could improve them or link them in new ways. P stands for potential pain points problems etc. Typically if you spot a potential or problem but you don’t know what to do with it its a P point. Also think of the P points as potential actors e.g. in the sense of “Enablers” and “Blockers”. Also think of them as leverage points. (Meadows)

I : I stands for innovation and / or intervention. If you find something new you can do or you find a solution to a problem or you can link things in a new way by creating new relations these are I-points. Innovations are obviously new inventions. interventions are not necessarily new and innovative but they are actions that change the system. They are systems interventions. The ZIP-Analysis works nicely with GIGA maps to move from description to design.

Davidová discussed the opportunities in zooming the problems and thus opened new questions in methodology. The most interesting discussion was on the pavilions’ program. The pavilions were often criticized for not having such. Birger opened the question of opportunistic use by its visitors/performers. Not being directly said, here you should sit, here play, here meet, here dance, sing or give a speech, all the users found the comfortable settings the pavilions offered. Birger has long lasting experience with such designs since 90-ties, when he founded Ocean (http://www.ocean-designresearch.net/) and gave us a lot of insides. In Prague Marie Davidová, Krištof Hanzlík, Martin Šichman and Boris Meluš opened this question after 60-ties when lectoring the workshop instantPARK for urbanACT in 2012. (http://urbanact.cz/post/24221217279/v-r%C3%A1mci-z%C3%A1v%C4%9Bre%C4%8Dn%C3%A9ho-happeningu-prob%C3%ADhal-v)

The mapping of opportunistic social interaction with architectonic object answered and opened a lot of questions. Students adopted basic principles of the methodology and broaden their horizons in complex thinking. They are planning to continue with this approach in their next projects. The results of this should be exhibited in Liberec from the 6th June. The exhibition will be opened by Birger Sevaldson around 3pm, followed by the public lecture of his colleague from Ocean and AHO, Michael Hensel, on Performance Oriented Architecture (http://www.performanceorienteddesign.net/) at 6pm.

The author is using transdisciplinary studio courses as a research tool in the field of performative wood. Through sharing the knowledge between architectural, environmental design, and wood science researchers and students, we managed to develop complex 1:1 scale prototypes. The course process is a learning arena for students, teachers and researchers and the skills, competences and insights are being developed through experimental practice. The second prototype of the Environmental Summer Pavilion II course was created from reflection upon the first one while both serve as complex material-environment interaction studies for the development of responsive envelopes.

Marie Davidova is leaving to Norway this Monday to map in cooperation with Birger Sevaldson non-discrete spaces in Norwegian traditional architecture. The unclimatised spaces between interior and exterior, generating the onion principal of the building, have its place in almost all traditional architectures, functioning as its energy exchange.

The case study of FUA TUL’s PhD student’s, Marie Davidova’s, research on Wood as a
Primary Medium to Architectural Performance will be applied and the results will be
presented to the academy. In the same time, the project covers advising of Marie
Davidova’s PhD project, the workshop, public lectures, discussions, common crits,
conference attendance and publications which will inseminate the field to the academic
audience and strengthen the engagement in common interest of the institutions and their
connections.

In case of any questions or interest in the project dont hesitate to contact Marie Davidova: marie.davidova@tul.cz